Being a marksman is one of the coolest professions one can have in anime. Those who are proficient with long ranged weapons are at a significant advantage since they can gun down enemies from afar. With enough skill, they become nearly unbeatable.
Over the years, there have been hundreds of gunslingers and bow users from different anime. However, only a handful are of note when considering the monumental roles they have played in their respective stories. Through identifying the most awesome marksmen, it becomes easier to appreciate their accomplishments and what makes them so outstandingly memorable.
10 Gabi Almost Never Misses (Attack On Titan)
Many Attack On Titan fans take issue with Gabi for her personality. To be fair, she is annoying, domineering, and sometimes even bigoted toward her own people before being redeemed. However, what makes Gabi so cool is that she never misses the shots she takes, and every last bullet counts.
Over her life thus far, Gabi has killed Sasha, decapitated Eren, and shot Floch out of the sky despite his skills with ODM gear. Had the war continued, Gabi would have been a force to be reckoned with as an adult.
9 Hawkeye Was Mustang's Most Loyal Ally (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Riza Hawkeye was all one could ask for in a Fullmetal Alchemist lieutenant. She was dependable, loyal, and had fantastic judgment. Moreover, her deep concern for Roy Mustang ensured that he did not cross lines he wouldn't regret later. What makes Hawkeye especially cool is that she is a formidable marksman who can hold her own in a world of chimera monsters and homunculus.
She doesn't even need alchemy in order to get by, instead putting her faith completely in her ability to shoot down targets with a handgun. However, considering how much Mustang overshadowed Hawkeye in the story, she's not as impressive as other characters.
8 Hol Horse Was A Wild Maverick (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Hol Horse was perhaps the most memorable minor JoJo's Bizarre Adventure villain for his outlandish albeit lovable personality. Intelligent enough to realize he was no match for the crusaders on his own, he allied with a number of villains in hopes of defeating them.
Moreover, Hol Horse was not merely another blind servant. He resented and feared DIO to such extents that he pulled a gun on him. To date, no other of the vampire's minions have ever dared such a feat and lived to tell the tale.
7 Kidomaru Was The Sound Four's Fierce Sniper (Naruto)
Kidormaru was one of the few Naruto characters who used physical projectiles relatively well. Even more impressively, he could unleash so many barrages that he almost overwhelmed Neji.
What makes Kidomaru particularly cool is his design and abilities. Considering that no one character in the series has as many arms, he is clearly the product of Orochimaru's experiments. Kidomaru's monstrous existence suggests that the effects of forbidden jutsu have far more pernicious consequences than merely tattooing the subject's skin or changing their eye color.
6 Mine's Imperials Arms Is Superb (Akame Ga Kill!)
Mine's Imperial Arms is the most interesting of Akame Ga Kill! by its very design. It becomes increasingly powerful depending on how much danger the user is in. On the verge of being killed, she can defeat enemies with a single shot.
As a result, Mine is awesome since the nature of her abilities reflects what Night Raid stands for. She deliberately puts herself in harm's way in order to accomplish a mission, ultimately dying without regrets for her cause. Mine remains one of the series' coolest characters due to the unique condition behind her power.
5 Masterson Is A Big Fish In A Small Pond (One Piece)
Despite being an unfortunately minor character, Masterson is highly original. Among the only named bounty hunters in One Piece, he scours the seas in search of weak pirates that he can safely capture and cash in on.
Although Masterson could easily target more lucrative prey, he does not want to risk his life since it would orphan his daughter. This is particularly noble and provides more nuance for him as an antagonist. Masterson is also effectively Usopp's version of Mihawk an addition to Yasopp.
4 Snipe Stopped Shigaraki In His Tracks (My Hero Academia)
Out of all the characters in My Hero Academia, few can claim to have stopped Shigaraki in his tracks. During the first attack on U.A., Snipe accomplished exactly that and saved many innocent students in the process.
Given that Snipe's Quirk only assists with his aim, his low physical attributes make him a natural underdog. Should Snipe have had as much screen time as other professional heroes like Mount Lady or Kamui Woods, he'd have a better reputation.
3 Mista Was Team Bucciarati's Dependable Sniper (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
Despite wielding a small handgun, Mista could shoot virtually target as many times as he liked. He accomplished this through his "Six Bullets" Stand, sentient ammunition that could ricochet off themselves when striking targets.
Over the series, Mista has proven himself as the coolest member of the team. He countered Sale's kinetic immunity by shooting him repeatedly in the same spot and beat Ghiaccio through exploiting the weakness in the back of his armor. Mista was so proficient in his craft that he was one of the few characters to survive act five.
2 Coyote Starrk Was Lonely At The Top (Bleach)
Labeled the strongest Espada by Aizen himself, Coyote Starrk ranks among the coolest and most complex antagonists in Bleach. Unlike his cohorts, he does not long for power or dominion. Instead, he simply seeks companionship, as the other residents of Las Noches were too weak to share his presence.
Capable of firing ceros at disorienting speed, it took Captain Shunsui's most dishonorable tactics and greatest reflexes in order to put Starrk down. Ironically, Starrk was not the aggressor in the fight; in fact, he never preemptively attacked a single shinigami.
1 Spike Spiegel Was A Legendary Bounty Hunter (Cowboy Bebop)
A flawed albeit charismatic scoundrel, Spike Spiegel was the main protagonist of Cowboy Bebop. As a fighter, Spike often preferred to use his opponents' force against them when defeating them in hand-to-hand combat.
Spike was an even better gunslinger than he was a martial artist. At the end of the series, he single-handedly took out the syndicate's most fortified capital using only two handguns and a few explosives. Although dying in the process, Spike avenged Julia and put an end to Vicious' reign of terror for good.